


The Writer and the Pharaoh

by tini_dancer



Category: Night at the Museum (Movies)
Genre: Ancient Egypt, Bohemian Rhapsody, British, College, Gay, London, M/M, Magic, Mummies, blame rami for this, i love rami malek
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-12-22
Updated: 2019-01-12
Packaged: 2019-09-24 22:30:31
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 5
Words: 12,252
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17109344
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/tini_dancer/pseuds/tini_dancer
Summary: Xavier Michael is a graduate student at Oxford University--studying Ancient History-- in desperate need of money and information for his book. He decides to apply for a nighttime security guard position at the British Museum in London to help him concentrate and be around history. He expects nothing but peace and quiet, not counting his loud and hilarious coworker Tilly, but he finds himself the place where history comes alive. Read along as Xavier gets pulled along on a mystical journey around the museum each night, meets historic figures that jump right out of the timeline, and find love in a lonely pharaoh.





	1. Part 1

_Mr. Michael,_

 

_It is that time of year! As a graduate student, is important to meet with your advisor as much as possible to help prepare you for advanced adulthood. In this meeting, you and your advisor will be discussing your current curriculum, as well as possible internships in the area. Your meeting with Cassandra Fridman is scheduled to take place on Friday 16 November at 11:00. We expect you to be there._

 

_Cheers,_

_Lillian Grant_

_Dean of Oxford University_

 

An advisor’s meeting. The last thing he wanted to do. Of course Dean Grant decided to send the letter--telling Xavier he would be missing his favorite class on Friday so he could go through the same exact conversation with Ms. Fridman he has had with her since he was first accepted into Oxford--only a day in advance, giving him absolutely no time to prepare. The fact that she did that to almost every student pissed Xavier off a lot. But still, there he was, sitting in front of his advisor’s desk, waiting for _her_ to show up. After about 10 minutes, she did.

“Sorry about that, Xavier,” Ms. Fridman said in a chipper tone, a coffee in her hand, “Traffic from the coffee shop to here is terribly mad. I expected to be here 20 minutes ago.”

Xavier shook his head, “It’s all good, Ms. Fridman. God knows how a woman is without her morning espresso.”

Ms. Fridman gave him a dead look, “Mr. Michael, I suggest you shut your trap before you say something you’ll regret.” She sat down in her desk and pulled out a dark blue file with Xavier’s name on it.

“Second year in the graduate program,” she finally smiled, “Your grades are looking very well, and your professors rave about you. Ancient History is not an easy study.”

“It’s my passion,” Xavier said in a monotone manner, “haven’t we been over this for the past, like, six years?”

Ms. Fridman sighed, “Is everything alright, Xavier? You aren’t normally like this.”

Everything, in fact, was not alright. Xavier’s classes were the hardest courses he had ever taken in his life, causing him to go almost mad while studying. His book about the history of Europe was going absolutely nowhere, and he had been working on it since the summer before his first year of graduate school. He was broke and was desperate for enough money to pay rent for his flat each month. His parents hadn’t truly talked to him in almost two years. What else could go wrong?

“It’s just normal uni stress,” Xavier put on a small, but very fake smile, “and I need a job more than anything right now.”

“You haven’t gone out and looked?”

Xavier shrugged and fiddled with his hoodie strings, “What’s the point? School takes all of my time. There’s no time for a job.”

“Of course there is,” Ms. Fridman gave him a supporting look, “When I was in graduate school at Harvard University in America, I worked two jobs, one in the morning, and one in the afternoon, then did night school. It took me only a semester longer to graduate, and that’s only because I got married during that time and took some time off.”

“Well, congratulations to you.”

“As I was saying, though night school is not an option for you in this major, you could work a nighttime job. Most night jobs are very simple and leave time to work on homework or personal endeavours, such as your book, which I assume has not been touched since the year began.”

Xavier pointed a finger at her, “You got me there.”

Ms. Fridman smiled, “There are plenty of jobs out there for broke uni students all over the area, especially in London. Good thing it’s only about an hour from here by train. You should start by looking there.”

“Okay…” Xavier felt a little nervous, “but where? McDonalds or something?”

“Oh heavens, no, no no. Start somewhere that may peak that history nerd inside you. Like a library or somewhere.”

Xavier bit his lip and nodded, “That would be really helpful. I should really get over there and look at some point.”

Ms. Fridman grinned, “What did I tell you? Now get on, I have another meeting in only half an hour and I must finish my coffee so I don’t seem like a lousy advisor.”

Xavier stood up from his chair and said, “You are nowhere near lousy, Ms. Fridman. You are honestly great,” he smiled, “thanks for helping me.”

“Of course.”

Xavier quickly waved goodbye and left the advisor’s building. On the way to his car, he was met up by one of his classmates.

“Hey Wall,” Xavier greeted with a small smile. He didn’t know Wallace very well, but he was a nice guy to talk to.

“Hey Xav. So I was wondering if you were coming to study group tonight?”

“Don’t I always?”

Wallace nodded a little, “I know, I know, but you haven’t seemed like yourself lately and it’s kind of worrying...all of us. You haven’t been as interactive and judgy. We all kind of miss it.”

“Don’t worry about me. It’s just some stress, that’s all,” they had reached Xavier’s car by then and were just standing around talking.

“My advisor thinks I should get a nighttime job to help pay for my flat. It’s silly, right?”

Wallace shook his head, “No, not at all. I actually have a job that runs pretty late. I work at the pub not far down from here until closing time at 1. I get all the drunken buffoons.”

Xavier couldn’t help but laugh, “That royally sucks. Maybe I should work there to help with damage control.”

“Hell no, that is not the place for you, trust me. I assume Fridman talked about looking in London.”

“How did you-”

“Said the same thing to me earlier this year,” Wallace said, “I didn’t want to stray too far from the campus so I took the only job close. But you have a lot of early potential that could work in London. You could get an internship at the library or something like that,” he paused for a second, “Oh! You could find a job at the British Museum.”

Xavier’s head snapped up, “I haven’t been there since I was a boy.”

“See, this is the perfect opportunity! You could be, like, the exhibit late night watchman or protector or something. And you’d have the entire bloody British Museum all to yourself. It’s a history major’s dream job!”

“I’d beg to differ with you on that last part,” Xavier smiled, “but I see where you are coming from. I may try that out. Thanks, Wallace.”

He and Wallace shook hands and nodded, “Yeah, man, anytime. See you at study group tonight, right?”

As Xavier got into his car, he flashed Wallace with a quick thumbs-up and started the ignition.

He went home to his actually nice flat. It was very small, with only one bedroom and bathroom and a living room the size of an attic, but really nice. There was no mold on the walls or dead bodies in the closet, which was a positive for Xavier. He grabbed his laptop from the coffee table and put it in his lap as he sat on the couch. For the next few hours, Xavier job hunted.

There weren’t many jobs available for university students, and even less night jobs in general. Not even McDonalds was hiring a late-night janitor to help get rid of the grease stains from the burger grills. Not a single library or bookshop was hiring and there were no other history-related occupations in the near area.

After pining over the annoyance of the job hunt website, he remembered what Wallace had told him about the British Museum. He put the museum in the search bar, and there it popped up.

_Late-Night Security Guard_

_The British Museum_

“Jackpot,” Xavier whispered, clinking on the link that sent him to the online application. He had been lucky to be fixing up his resume just incase the time had come. He emailed it in along with all other information about himself. He then put his computer in his bag and went off to the school campus to catch up on the class he missed while meeting with his advisor.

 

~~~~

 

“Tilly, what have I told you about the music?”

Tilly looked to the man speaking to her and only smirked, “Oh, come on, Lance. You only listen to epic romantic ballads, which right now is only the soundtrack to Titanic.”

The knight lowly groaned and pulled a hair tie from off his wrist and began to pull his hair back. It had been something he had picked up on after seeing pictures of men doing it on Tilly’s phone.

“Still, I don’t know what _this_ is, but it is certainly not good. Arthur would not approve of this music in Camelot.”

Tilly gasped audibly and placed her hand on her chest. She gestured to the air, where the music was coming from the overhead speakers, “ _This_ , my unfaithful knight, is Queen. Aka, the best rock group to ever exist. Their music is just so catchy that almost every human being on the planet knows every word to almost all of their hits.”

Lancelot pursed his lips, “I do not know every word to every hit, as you might say.”

“That’s because you’re not human, Lancelot. You are fictional. And made of wax.”

“Well, technically you are made of wax, too. Humans have a disgustingly gross amount of it in their ears.” Lancelot shuttered.

They had been walking around while talking, not knowing where they were venturing to. When the smell of old toilet paper filled the air did Tilly notice where they were.

“Oh, hello Tilly!” Shepseheret called from her spot near her sarcophagus.

“Hello Mama Egypt!” Tilly called back, walking over to her, “You look exceptionally gorgeous this evening.”

“Why thank you, Tilly. You are too kind.”

Tilly and Shepseheret shared a small laugh, enjoying their small girl time.

“Tilly, what are you telling my mother this time?” Said a voice from behind. She turned around to see Ahkmenrah coming up the stairs.

“Only that I’m gorgeous, thank you very much,” Shepseheret, “I hear it more from her than I do from your father and you combined.”

Ahkmenrah chuckled, “Mother, you know you are the most dazzling woman to ever walk the Earth. Nefertiti over there seems kind of jealous.” He pointed to a bust of the queen Nefertiti, who simply looked away from the group with a huff, “See?”

“She thinks she’s all that, just because she bore King Tutankhamun. I bore a better, more wiser king, who came in to power at a much more mature age.” She eyes Nefertiti, who stuck her tongue out at Shepseheret.

Ahkmenrah smiled silently. His mother noticed quickly that something was not right. She turned to Tilly and Lancelot, “Could you give us a moment alone, please?”

Lancelot, “Of course, my queen.” He bowed, took Tilly’s arm, and practically drug her out of the Egyptian exhibit.

Shepseheret turned to her son, “Ahkmen, what is wrong?”

“Nothing is wrong, Mother. It’s just a slow night, that is all.”

“No, I know my son,” the queen sat Ahkmenrah down on her sarcophagus, “I am your mother, Ahkmen. You can speak to me with freedom.”

Ahkmenrah sighed, “I don’t know, Mother. I guess I just feel a little homesick.”

“Oh darling, I wish we could go back to Egypt, too. But it is far past our time, and it is not like we can leave here without turning into ashes.”

“No,” Ahkmenrah said, “I miss New York. I feel like the trip last year has made me realize how much I miss my friends back home. Teddy, Sacajawea, Jed and Octavian, Dexter...I created my life there once I was freed from my sarcophagus. I was no longer a mummy screaming to be let out, but a true person and ruler. I was free.”

Shepseheret caressed her son’s hand, “But your father and I weren’t there.”

“I didn’t know where you were,” Ahkmenrah gazed down to his feet, “I figured that you two had not been found, or had been destroyed. I created my life without you guys in it. As much as I love being here with you, and these past four years have been the most incredible time, I just don’t feel like myself. I miss the adventures with Larry and the others. I miss the chaos of it all. And now it’s only...this. The same thing every night.”

A tear rolled down his cheek. Never had he let his guard down like that before. Shepseheret held her son close to him and rubbed his arm, “It will be alright, Ahkmen. You never know what may happen the next night.”

Just as Ahkmenrah nodded, a soft alarm began to go off. Ahkmenrah got up to go turn off the small device from behind a pillar, “Fifteen minutes to sunrise. I feel tired already.”

Shepseheret walked over to her son, reached up, and took off his headdress. His dark curly hair was a mess from wearing it all night.

“Then go to bed, my son. The moon will be there when you rise tomorrow night.”

Ahkmenrah leaned over and kissed his mother on the cheek, “I love you, mama.”

‘“I love you too, my son.” She handed him his cap crown, and Ahkmenrah went to lay in his sarcophagus, hugging his crown tight. His mother blew him one last kiss before closing the lid, making everything go dark.


	2. Part 2

The lights shut off in the large lecture hall, and the projector shone a bright white. Xavier closed off his phone and opened his very thick notebook, ready to take notes. He looked up to the screen to see what to title his notes page.

_The Third and Fourth Kings of Egypt_

“Merenkahre,” Professor Ash began with such a booming voice, a few students jumped in their seats, “The third Pharaoh of Egypt. After his father died at the age of 49, a 27 year old Merenkahre took the throne. He was said to be a powerful, demanding leader. Like his father and grandfather, he demanded for anyone who cares to speak with him to kiss his staff, which he was the last pharaoh to demand that. He was a very religious man and forced his people to to praise the gods, especially Khonsu, the moon god.

“Merenkahre wedded Shepseheret at the age of 29 and bore two sons, Kahmunrah and Ahkmenrah. Now Shepseheret was known as the most beautiful woman to ever grace Egypt at the time, only to be superseded by Nefertiti years later, but we will discuss her another time. She was witty and full of spunk, and could have just easily been pharoah herself. She was just as commanding as her husband and possibly was and still is the most perfect example of the perfect Egyptian queen.”

Xavier wrote as fast as he could. Every so often, he would look up to see if he missed anything and look at the images on the slide show. On this one, there was a picture of Merenkahre and Shepseheret’s sarcophaguses laying next to one another. Xavier knew that behind each beautiful golden lid was a grotesque corpse wrapped in bandages of the late king and queen. It somewhat made Xavier feel sad. He was pulled out his slight trance when Professor Ask began to speak again.

“The first born son was Kahmunrah,” the old man clicked the button on his remote and the slide changed, “He was fierce and brutal toward the people of Egypt: he frightened more than any other king had ever had, and he was only a prince at the time. As Merenkahre began get to a elder age, the fear of what Kahmunrah might do as Pharaoh came into light, and the king decided to not leave the throne to Kahmunrah, but to Ahkmenrah, breaking the tradition. Kahmunrah was enraged and left the family. When he was 54, Merenkahre passed, and a 16 year old Ahkmenrah took the position of Pharaoh.”

Professor Ash changed the slide to one titled simply _Ahkmenrah_. Xavier couldn’t help but notice now little information was on the slide. There were only a few subtitled and only two pictures: one of his sarcophagus, and one of a golden tablet with what looked to be nine buttons.

“Ahkmenrah was the fourth king. He was the original teenaged king. People were skeptical when he first came to power, for they did not originally believe in having such a young king. Some even wished for Kahmunrah to return only because they believed Ahkmenrah was not mature enough. Alas, they were wrong. Ahkmenrah was a better king than his father. He lead his people with kindness and integrity. He was the most compassionate king Egypt had ever seen. Sadly, his reign only lasted two years, for Kahmunrah returned for vengeance. One night, Kahmunrah snuck into Ahkmenrah’s bedroom and stabbed him in his sleep. The king was found dead in his bed the next morning by a group of servants. He was only 18 years old. Ahkmenrah was mummified and laid to rest with his late parents. This tablet was also buried with him,” he pointed a laser pointer to the picture of the golden rectangle, “This is the Tablet of Ahkmenrah.” He changed the slide to one only about the tablet.

“It is said Merenkahre had this tablet made when Kahmunrah was born, for it would be a gift to the king that would come into power after him. Since Ahkmenrah was the son to become pharaoh, the tablet became his. It hung on the wall next to the royal throne until Ahkmenrah’s death. As I said, they joined Merenkahre and Shepseheret in the royal temple, never to be seen again. That is, until 1938.

“A joint expedition between America and Britain was conducted to find the temple. On one stormy day, a young boy, a son of one of the explorers, literally fell into the temple. From there, Merenkahre and Shepseheret were sent to the British Museum in London and Ahkmenrah and the tablet were sent to Cambridge University, then eventually moved the Museum of Natural History in New York City. Four years ago, Ahkmenrah and the tablet were brought to the British Museum, and the family was reunited. They have been here ever since.”

Xavier raised his hand, and Professor Ash pointed to him, “Yes, Mr. Michael?”

“What happened to Kahmunrah?”

“The Egyptians had appointed a new pharaoh from a different family very quickly, pushing Kahmunrah out of the running for king. No one knows what happened to him after he killed his brother. Some say he died in the middle of the desert alone. His body has never been found.”

A girl from the other side of the room raised her hand, “Professor, is it known what they looked like? Possibly from hieroglyphics or images?”

“It is unknown of their physical appearance, though through knowledge of what Egyptians look like, they are thought of to be dark skinned, dark brown or black hair, brown eyes, ec cetra.”

A phone alarm went off from the professor’s desk. Professor Ash smiled and went over to turn the lights on, “Looks like that’s it for today. See you all on Wednesday, children!”

Xavier gathered his stuff and put them in his backpack. He slung it over his shoulder and walked down the stairs and towards the exit.

“Xav, Xav!” Wallace called out from behind him. Xavier turned and smiled at Wallace and his girlfriend Claire.

“Hey guys, how’d you like the lecture today?”

“It was amazing,” Claire beamed, “I love Egyptian history. I mean, I do want to be an Egyptologist.”

“As the second future Egyptologist in this trio,” Wallace spoke up, “I agree it was fascinating. I just wish there was more we could know. It seems like everything about the early pharaohs has been discovered, but it’s not much. There has to be more.”

“I agree!” Claire threw her hands up in the air, “It can’t simply stop there.”

Wallace looked to Xavier, “You agree with us, right?”

“Yeah, yeah, but I’m not going to be an Egyptologist so it’s not that important to me.”

Wallace rolled his eyes, “Speaking of the lecture, have you applied for a job yet, specifically the one I recommended?”

Xavier laughed a little and nodded, “Yeah, actually, I applied for a nighttime security guard position at the British Museum. I have an interview on Thursday.”

“Get it!” Wallace lightly punched him excitingly in the arm, “I know you’ll get it. You’re, like, the biggest history buff I know.”

Claire came up next to Xavier and hugged him, “You’ll do great, Xav.”

  
“Guys the interview isn’t for another three days, don’t start with all this now.”

Wallace wrapped his arm around his friend in a brotherly fashion, “Well too bad, because we will be doing this until then.”

Xavier rolled his eyes and untangled himself from Wallace, “Yeah, yeah, whatever floats your boat. I’ve got to get to class now.”

Claire gave him one last hug, “Bye, Xav.”

“See you, mate.” Wallace saluted, then took Claire’s hand and walked away with her. Xavier couldn’t help but smile. He loved seeing how happy his friends were together. He wished he could have the same thing with someone someday.

Xavier had been in relationships before, but not any ones that didn’t result in sadness or anger. He had had a string of boyfriends who thought it would be a good idea to experiment with him to see if they were actually into guys, but it turns out they were straight all along. Xavier had never felt so used in his life. In high school he was known as the guy who “turned all the gay guys straight.” He wasn’t desireable or extremely attractive, and somehow that even turned all of the homosexual, bisexual, and whatever else not-straight-sexual guys off. He was a major nerd in school, and he knew that--the bullies made sure he knew. Xavier just wished one guy was actually into him. He wished that just one man would love him, care for him, and just appreciate him. He just wanted a boyfriend he could travel the world with, discover new things with, and give him the motivation to continue his book and be a successful author and historian. All he wanted was someone to love and to love him. And fate seemed to be worked its damned hardest to make that not happen.

 

~~~~

 

The train ride to London was obnoxious. While trying to get some much needed rest during the trip, a small boy behind Xavier kept kicking his chair and was speaking very loudly. The boy’s mother tried to stop him a few times, but the scolding did not work. She did lean forward and apologize to Xavier, to which he replied that it wasn’t the end of the world, just a minor inconvenience. After almost an hour of banging and screaming, the train arrived in London. Xavier released a relieved audible sigh and got off the train as fast as he could.

It had been a while since he had visited London, but the air was just as muggy as it had always been. The people at the train station were jostling around while trying to get on their desired train. Xavier did his best to worm around the impatient passengers and made his way to a map of the city posted on the wall. When he got there, he pulled up the museum’s address on his phone to help him figure out where he needed to go.

“You know, there are maps and navigation systems on your phone, right?” Said a woman who was in tan uniform. She was a worker at the station.

Xavier nodded a little, “Yes, I do know that, but sometimes it’s just easier to look at the bigger picture. You can’t always get that on Google Maps, now can you?”

“I suppose so,” the lady chuckled, “Where might you be headed off to?”

“Uh, the British Museum. Which way is that from here?”

The worker pointed to a spot along a line on the map, “It is about a 20 minute walk from here, off of Great Russell. It’s very hard to miss.”

Xavier nodded, “Thank you very much, uh…”

“Sidney. And you might be?”

“Xavier.”

Sidney bit her lip, “Well, Xavier, perhaps after you visit to the museum I could take you out for a cup of coffee?’

“Sorry, Sidney, but I’m going to have to pass.” Xavier put his phone in his pocket. Sidney frowned.

“Why? Am I not attractive enough?”

Xavier shook his head, “No, that’s not it. I’m gay, so we wouldn’t work out.”

“Oh...that makes a lot of sense. Sorry, Xavier.”

“Don’t worry about it,” Xavier began to walk away, “Thanks, Sidney!” He waved and left the station, making his way to museum. He walked as fast as he could on the crowded sidewalks of London, quickly passing by tourists and locals--luckily no one got mad at him and turned into New Yorkers while on his journey. When he reached Great Russell, the museum was the only thing in sight. He grinned and walked through the gates of the grand building that was the British Museum.

There was a very long line at the entrance, and there was no other way in. Xavier hopped in line and waited maybe five minutes before he reached the door.

“Ticket, sir,” said the guard at the door. Xavier shook his head.

“I’m not here to visit, sir. I have an interview with Charles Fadden. For a job.”

The guard shook his head, “I don’t buy it. Do you have a ticket or not?”

Xavier rolled his eyes, “This is bollocks. Seriously, I’m here for a job interview.”

“Please leave, sir, or I will call security.”

“I’m not going to leave!”

“Frank, what is the holdup?” Said a female voice from inside. A woman in a tan pantsuit came to the door with her arms crossed.

The guard, Frank, gestured to Xavier, “This loon says he has a job interview with Mr. Fadden.”

“I am not a loon!” Xavier scoffed and crossed his arms.

The woman looked at Xavier, “Are you Xavier Michael?”

Xavier let out a relieved sigh and nodded, “Yes, yes that is me.”

“Let him through,” the woman told Frank. He groaned and moved out of the way, and Xavier walked in.

The woman began to walk farther into the building, “This way, Mr. Michael. We don’t want to keep Mr. Fadden waiting.”

Xavier stuck his hands in his pockets and jogged to join the woman. He looked around at his surrounding. In the distance he could see the first exhibit, though he couldn’t tell what it was. The architecture of the museum was absolutely breathtaking, “The museum is gorgeous.”

The woman smiled, “It is, isn’t it? I still find myself being surprised after years of working here. Have you not come before?”

“Not since I was a boy,” he shook his head, “I barely remember it.”

“Well, it’s changed a lot since you’ve last come. How old are you?”

“I’m 21.”

The woman was taken slightly aback, “Only 21? We’ve never has someone so young apply here before.”

“I need the money terribly. I may be the poorest college student in Britain.”

“College student?” The woman grinned, “College drains you of your life savings.”

“Oh, I know.”

They reached a door at the end of a tight corridor. The plate on the door read _Charles Fadden, Director._ The woman knocked on the door, “Mr. Fadden, your next appointment it here.”

“Come in!” Said a voice on the other side of the door.

The woman opened the door and gestured for Xavier to walk in. He did, and the woman closed the door behind him, leaving Xavier alone with the director.

“Xavier Michael,” an older man with gray hair and stubble on his chin stood up from the desk on the other side of the room and smiled, “Pleasure to meet you.” Xavier met him halfway and shook hands with him.

“The pleasure is mine, sir.”

Mr. Fadden pointed to a chair in front of the big desk, “Please have a seat, Mr. Michael.” Xavier nodded and sat down, and Mr. Fadden went to sit behind his desk.

“So,” Mr. Fadden began, “you want to be a night guard. We haven’t had anyone apply for that job in many years. Why did you apply?”

Xavier cleared his throat, “Well, I am currently a graduate student at Oxford. I’m studying Ancient History. I feel like a job here will give me the opportunity to learn more and give me the time to work on my studies and my book.”

Mr. Fadden nodded, “So you need money.”

“I never said-”

“You’re a university student,” Mr. Fadden smirked, “a graduate student. That tells me you’re broke. Good thing I’m giving you this job.”

Xavier froze, “Excuse me, did you say I’m getting the job?”

“Indeed,” Mr. Fadden said, “You start on Monday. Be here by closing time each day and meet at the back of the building,” he stood up while grabbing his phone, wallet, and car keys, “Tilly will show you the ropes.”

Xavier scrambled out of his chair, “Mr. Fadden, I haven’t even been here five minutes. How can I already have the job?”

Mr. Fadden turned to him, “Mr. Michael, I’m hiring you as a night guard. There are not any major qualifications. In fact, you overly exceed qualifications. Now, if you’ll excuse me, I need to get home so I can get ready for my granddaughter’s dance recital. Good day, Mr. Michael.”

“Uh, good day to you too, I guess.” With that, Xavier exited the room, holding the door open for Mr. Fadden. He left the museum with a small smile on his face. He was finally going to get the money he needed to keep up with rent. He was going to have time to work on course work. He was finally going to be able to work on his book. God was treating him right for once.


	3. Part 3

“ _You seriously took your school work with you?’_ Wallace said through the phone, “ _It’s your first night on the job, Xav. You could at least learn what you are supposed to be doing before not doing your job._ ”

Xavier leaned back against his seat on the train, “This job is basically nothing, Wall. I think I’m just going to walk around the halls and make sure nothing disappears. It won’t hurt me to stop in the Asia exhibit and work on some homework. Besides, there haven’t been any cases of robbery in almost 40 years. This will be a piece of cake.”

“ _You never know. I bet someone will try to rob it within the month._ ”

“Wallace, that’s practically impossible. Why are you so concerned, anyways? You have a much more difficult job than me and you know it.”

“ _You’re my friend, Xav. We’ve known each other since out freshman year when we were 16. I’m just looking out for you._ ”

Xavier looked out the window. The sun wasn’t supposed to set for another hour, but the sky was already dark due to the heavy clouds. It made Xavier feel very tired. “Yeah, I get it. I guess I’d do the same for you.” The train began to slow to a stop, signalling that he was now in London, “Hey, I’ve got to go. I’ll see you tomorrow, Wall.”

“ _See you tomorrow, Xav. Don’t let any robbers steal your textbooks._ ”

“Very funny.”

Xavier hung up the phone and stood up, grabbing his backpack and headed off the train. On his way out, he waved hello to Sidney and made his way to the museum, which was closing in half an hour. He made it to the front door, only to be stopped by Frank again.

“Oh, come on man, I work here now!”

“Sorry man,” Frank shook his head, “Besides, you’re the night guard. Aren’t you supposed to be at the shack?"

Xavier furrowed his eyebrows, “Sorry, the shack?"

Frank smirked, “Go out back, you’ll see what I mean.” He pointed to a path by the edge of the building, “Just go that way.”

Xavier nodded and went down the path. Before he knew it, he reached a black gate. Next to the gate was a small building with a few televisions. An overweight girl with a blonde ponytail was inside subconsciously hitting a table with a hammer. Xavier knocked on the door.

The girl shrieked and dropped the hammer on the table. She looked out the window, and opened it up like a drive-thru restaurant, “Hello, welcome to the British Museum. May I help you?”

“Yeah, uh, I was told to come back here,” Xavier replied, “I’m Xavier Michael, the new night guard.”

“Oh!” The girl shut the window, then opened the door to the shack, “I wondered when you would be coming! I’m Tilly, your fellow night guard.” She tipped her hat slightly and smiled, “Welcome to the best job ever!”

Xavier gave her a questioning look, “Best job ever? Aren’t I just going to making sure no one robs the place?”

“Yeah, but it’s really peaceful and quiet. I usually just sleep,” She reached back into the shack and opened the gate, “Come on, lad, let’s get you into your uniform. You can just leave your backpack in the shack.”

Xavier dropped his bag on a chair in the shack and followed Tilly into the museum. They went to a unisex locker room. On the back wall of the room was a rack with many blue uniforms hanging off of it.

“These aren’t the most comfortable uniforms, but your size is most likely there. I’ll be waiting out here,” as she walked out, Tilly called out, “Be ready in ten minutes tops!” and closed the door behind her.

Xavier walked over to the rack and went through the outfits. He found one that was closest to his size, stripped out of his normal clothes, and put on the heavy uniform. He saw a pile of hats like the one Tilly was wearing and cringed. He decided to go without it. He tightened his belt and left the room to meet up with Tilly.

“Where’s your hat?” Tilly asked after she let out an audible gasp.

Xavier ruffled his curls, “It’s terribly ugly and seems extremely uncomfortable.”

“You aren’t wrong.” Tilly smiled, “Come on, let’s get back to the shack.” They went back outside. The sun was almost completely down at this point. They made it back to the shack.

“So you spend the whole night in here?” Xavier pushed on the shack slightly.

Tilly nodded, “Yep. Until tonight, this is my life. Now, this is your life.”

Xavier tilted his head in confusion, “‘Until tonight?’ What does that mean?”

“Well, there isn’t much room in here, so you and I can’t fit in here together. It’s your first night, so I thought I’d go easy on you. Plus it seems you brought school work to do, so staying here would give you the opportunity to work on it,” She pushed Xavier into the small shack.

Xavier looked around, “What about you? Where will you be?”

Tilly reached passed him and grabbed her flashlight, “I will be inside watching over the exhibits. With there now being two of us, I can do it now. Fadden’s wanted two night guards for a while now. One to be inside and one here watching from the outside. And since I’ve been here for 7 years, I think I’m a little more qualified than a uni student with a bad perm.”

“Wha-” Xavier was interrupted when Tilly shut the door in his face and left, “I do not have a perm!” he shouted, “My hair is naturally this springy and beautiful!” He hit the door a few times, then kicked when he realized Tilly wasn’t coming back. He moved his backpack from the chair to the floor and sat down. He got out his laptop and notebook, ready to take extra notes from his American history class. He pulled up the class notes on one tab and youtube on a second one. He put his earbuds into the computer, found a random music playlist on youtube, put the buds in his ears, and started the music. He went back to the class notes and began to jot them down. His surrounding turned completely black as he became lost in his work. He didn’t even notice a bring glow coming from inside of the museum.

 

~~~~

 

“So there’s a new night guard, but you didn’t tell him about this?” Lancelot asked while sharpening his sword with a knife sharpener Tilly had brought him from the break room, “That’s really stupid.”

“Hey, don’t call me stupid,” Tilly took a bite from a cold piece of pizza that she also took from the break room, “If it weren’t for me, your blade would be really dull right now.”

Lancelot smirked, “Still, if he’s half as smart as you, he’s going to figure out the truth sooner than later. Hiding this isn’t going to do any good.”

“What are you guys talking about?” Ahkmenrah asked as he walked into the Camelot exhibit. He sat down next to Lancelot and watched him sharpen his sword, “By the way, that small knife sharpener is not going to improve that sword at all.”

“Oh shut it, Ahk.You don’t know the first thing about weaponry.”

“No but I do know that something that small isn’t going to fix something that is much larger than it.”

Lancelot rolled his eyes, “Why are you even in here, anyways?”

Ahkmenrah shrugged, “I’m bored.”

Tilly laughed a little and took another bite of her pizza, “We were talking about the new night guard.”

“New night guard?” Ahkmenrah questioned, “I didn’t think they’d hire a new one.”

“Eh, this one’s young and naive,” Tilly explained, “He’s a uni student who only got the job so he pay rent for his flat. Or so Fadden told me. He’s only 21.”

“Where is he now?” Ahkmenrah asked, stealing a mushroom off of a piece of Tilly’s pizza.

“In the shack doing school work.”

Lancelot looked up to a security camera on the wall across the room, “Good thing Larry and Nick fixed the cameras so we can’t be seen moving. Then our cover would be blown.”

“So you don’t plan on telling him,” Ahkmenrah eyed Tilly, “That’s not going to work.”

Tilly sighed and stuffed her mouth with more food, “Why does everyone keep telling me that?” She asked with her mouth full. She swallowed and continued, “Don't you think I can keep a secret?”

“Absolutely not,” Lancelot said with a smile.

“You once almost told us the details of the terrible sex you had with your ex-boyfriend,” Ahkmenrah then said with a flat tone.

“He had no idea where his...you know...was supposed to go! He then called me fat in bed! What guy does that?!”

Lancelot swiped his blade against the knife sharpener and looked at her dully, “An honest one.”

Ahkmenrah tried to hold in his laughter while Tilly took her flashlight and hit Lancelot over the head with it.

“Uh, ouch?!” Lancelot grabbed his head.

“Oh my god, you’re made of wax, Lance!” Tilly put the flashlight back in the holster of her belt, “That did not hurt you and you know it.”

“Yeah,” Ahkmenrah smirked, “The only people that can actually get physically hurt in this room are Tilly and I.”

Lancelot looked to the pharaoh, “Really? You can get hurt?”

“I am human, Lancelot. I’m not a figure or anything. I’m real.”

“Well, good for you, then. 10 points to Ahkmenrah!”

Tilly furrowed her eyebrows, “Did you just quote _Harry Potter_?”

“Who’s Harry Potter? I was giving out points like in a joust.”

Tilly shrugged and took another bite of pizza, “You guys have no faith in me,” she went back to the previous subject, “I can hide this from him. He won’t know about this, trust me.”

Ahkmenrah stole a piece of pizza from the box and took a bite, “Whatever you say, Tilly. Whatever you say.”

Tilly gasped in offense and moved the box away from him. Lancelot and Ahkmenrah laughed a little, and the latter took another bite of the chilled pizza.


	4. Part 4

_ Meet @ museum @ 10. Don’t bring your school stuff. _

 

Tilly had texted him that at 7 in the morning. Xavier woke up at 8, and he had gotten back home at 5:30. When he saw the text, then what time it was, he scrambled out of bed and got dressed as quickly as he could. He only had time to put on a pair of black jeans, a dark green t-shirt, black Converse tennis shoes, and a black hoodie. He stopped by a Starbucks and grabbed a black coffee and a breakfast sandwich on his way to the train station. The woman at the ticket booth went ahead and just handed Xavier his ticket at the same moment he gave her the money and said, “Train leaves in 5 minutes. Get there quickly, doll.” 

Xavier caught the train maybe only a minute before it left the station. It was very full, so he took a seat next to an older woman with a white bob and a floral dress. She was working on knitting something Xavier couldn’t identify. He laid back against the seat and closed his eyes as the train pulled out of the station.

“You look exhausted,” the lady spoke up, smiling at Xavier, “I couldn’t imagine why. Did you stay at your girlfriend’s place all night?”

Xavier shook his head, “No, that’s not something I would do. I work a nighttime job and I got home at, like, 5:30, and woke up at 8. My coworker texted me to meet up at work. I have no idea why.”

The woman stopped her knitting, “5:30 in the morning? Is your boss mad or something?”

“No, he isn’t mad. I don’t even think he knows what goes down during the night time. But it is an all night job. My coworker actually lets me leave before sundown so I can get back home to rest up for my classes.”

“Why on Earth did you even take a night job if you are a university student?” The woman was now very interested.

Xavier shrugged, “I’m a college student, I have no money. And I can’t take night classes with my major, and my day is taken up by classes and studying. So night is the only time I can work. And it isn’t all too bad. I barely do anything so I get a lot of school work done there.”

“Well, that’s a positive, I suppose,” the lady went back to her knitting.

Xavier eyed the lady’s knitting work, “May I ask what you are knitting?”

“Oh,” the woman seemed surprised, “It’s a scarf for my granddaughter. Her birthday is on Tuesday and I thought I’d take my time on the train to knit.”

Xavier couldn’t help but smile, “That’s really sweet. And a smart idea on working on it now.” The lady and Xavier laughed lightly together.

“You are such a kind boy,” the lady grinned, “What might your name be?”

“Xavier, and you?”

The lady stuck out her hand for him to shake, “Meriam.”

“Well, it is lovely to meet you, Meriam.” Xavier shook her hand lightly. 

“You too, Xavier, you too.”

Not too long later, the train stopped in London. Xavier bid Meriam goodbye and got off the train before she did. On his way out of the station, he ran into Sidney again.

“My my my,” the girl giggled as she stepped back, “I didn’t think I’d see you here so early.”

Xavier gave Sidney a quick hug and said, “My coworker wanted to meet up with me, and it’s Saturday so I don’t have any classes.”

“That’s nice,” Sidney looked down at her watch and her face turned a light red, “Oh my God, I have to go. I need to get to the ticket booth in 2 minutes or my boss will have my head. Have a nice day, Xavier!” She waved and ran off toward a crowd of people in line to buy train tickets. Xavier chuckled as he watched Sidney trip and almost fall, and walked out of the station and headed to the museum. 

And when he got there, he was met by Frank at the front door. 

“For God’s sake, Frank, let me in.”

Frank shook his head, “You know where to go, man. To the shack.”

Xavier rolled his eyes, “Where’s Tilly?”

“Right here!” Yelled a voice from inside. Tilly came to the door, and pulled Xavier inside, almost knocking Frank over, “Come on, Frankie, you knew I was in here. Why must you be such a prick all the time?” 

Just as Frank began to interject, Tilly pulled Xavier further into the museum. It was strange for Xavier to see Tilly out of uniform. She wore a plain black t-shirt with a gray hoodie over it, blue jeans, and Ugg boots, and her hair was down. She never looked more normal.

“So why did you bring me here?” Xavier asked as Tilly handed him a pamphlet for the museum.

Tilly smiled, “Well you work here now, so I thought you’d like the grand tour of the museum.”

Xavier smiled like a little kid on Christmas morning, “I was hoping to come in a see it soon, considering you’ve been sticking me in the shack all week.”

Tilly waved it off and turned into the first exhibit hall of the museum, “Come along, young padawan. Our journey awaits us.” Xavier smirked at the Star Wars reference and caught up with her.

They started in the hall of Roman and Greek statues. They were all missing major pieces, such as arms, legs, and even heads. “You know why they’re all broken?” Xavier asked Tilly.

“Um...because they got into really nasty fights with each other?”

Xavier laughed quietly and shook his head, “No, not that. When Britain raided Rome, they only took parts of things. They left behind the rest of these statues and took these parts. I really don’t know why. Did you also know that a lot of the crown jewels are stolen items?”

“Really?” Tilly seemed shocked, “Seems like her majesty can get whatever she wants. Whether it be stolen jewels or a million corgis.”

They then entered a hallway with animal heads, bones, and tusks on the walls. Xavier also gave information about these, “Look at all of this. The bones of extinct species out here in the open. That’s actually quite dangerous, but then again dinosaur skeletons stand in the open at almost every museum on the planet.”

“Oh, speaking of,” Tilly took Xavier to the end of the hall, “Meet Trixie.”

There stood a complete skeleton of a triceratops. It was massive and foreboding, and that feeling brought a smile to Xavier face, “It’s beautiful. I’ve never been in the same room as a triceratops before. Sadly I don’t know much about dinosaurs and I don’t really care. But this is freaking awesome.”

“Rumor has it she loves to play fetch,” Tilly whispered in his ear, which made him laugh. The continued on to the next exhibit, which was a whole separate room.

“Welcome to Camelot, good sir,” Tilly bowed as she walked in, “or an explanation of it.”

Xavier furrowed his eyebrows in confusion, “This isn’t real history, though. King Arthur and Camelot is a legend, not a factual tale.”

“Well, I guess when you think about it is does teach you about the medieval times in a way,” Tilly walked over to table with fake weapons, “You know, it teaches you about the weaponry, the knights, the monarchy. Also the tale of King Arthur is a good one.”

“I guess that’s true,” Xavier smiled, “ _ Merlin  _ is one of my favorite shows.”

“Mine too!” Tilly became giddy, “Please tell me you shipped Merlin and Arthur.”

Xavier grinned very wide, “Are you kidding me? I could have sworn they were gay. The fact they never ended up together still pisses me off.”

“Ugh don’t remind me,” Tilly walked over to a knight statue and pointed her thumb at it, “you know who this is?”

Xavier shook his head, “Is it supposed to be someone in particular?”

“This, my friend, is Sir Lancelot.”

Xavier hummed and went closer to it, “If it’s supposed to be Lancelot, then why does he have his helmet on?”

“Don’t ask me, I’m not in charge of the exhibits,” they began to walk out of the exhibit, “All I know is that there is a wax figure underneath that armor.”

“Wouldn’t it get hot in that thing and melt?”

“That’s...a really good point. I’m surprised he hasn’t yet.” They left the Camelot exhibit and made their way to Asia.

“This exhibit is kinda cool,” Tilly explained, “There’s a Garuda statue over there, little sucker. And up here is a Xiangliu.”

“The mystical snake beast?” Xavier walked into the room with the dragon-like creature, “That is a wicked statue.” He couldn’t help but take out his phone and take a picture. Tilly smiled and showed him out. They went to the hall about ancient Rome, which included many busts, pictures, and miniature display of Pompeii.

“Roman history may be my favorite subject,” Xavier told Tilly, “Julius Caesar, Cleopatra, the architecture and technology, ugh it’s all amazing.”

Tilly tilted her head slightly, “Technology? It’s not like computers existed then.”

“Technology means any advancement, Tilly. Not just cell phones and laptops.” They then went on to Egypt.

“This is a lot of history,” Xavier looked around in amazement, “I’m actually learning about ancient Egypt in my Middle Eastern history class, even though Egypt is in Africa.” The passed by an exhibit and sarcophagus titled  _ Cleopatra _ and Xavier paused, “That’s not real.”

“It’s not?” Tilly crossed her arms and hummed.

“It couldn’t be,” Xavier explained, “Cleopatra hasn’t been found. No one has any clue where she is. There are actually multiple expeditions currently underway to find her. So this is fake.”

Tilly frowned, “Well that sucks,” she then shook off the weird feeling and took Xavier’s arm, “Come this way. Over here are some real mummies.”

They went off to a seperate area of the Egypt wing. Xavier stopped in his tracks when he saw three sarcophaguses lined up next to each other, “Merenkahre, Shepseheret, and Ahkmenrah…”

Tilly smiled, “The one and only. Wait, three and only...s, onlies?”

Xavier walked up to the center sarcophagus in complete awe, “I just learned about Merenkahre and Ahkmenrah in class last week. I can’t believe Ahkmenrah died so young.”

“How much do you know?” 

Xavier shrugged, “As much as my professor taught. It’s still interesting.” He looked up and saw the golden tablet on display on the wall in front of him. He walked over to it, “It’s even more beautiful in person.”

Tilly joined Xavier by the tablet, “It is, isn’t it? Every time I see it I smile. It’s so beautiful.”

Xavier turned back to the sarcophaguses, “I wonder what they really looked like. My professor guesses they looked like any other person from Egypt, but part of me believes that isn’t true. But it’s whatever, really.” He began to walk away from the exhibit.

“Well, I guess this concludes the tour,” Tilly said as she and Xavier made their way out of the museum, “I’m sorry I made to where you go so little sleep last night.”

“It’s fine, Tilly,” Xavier brushed it off, “Really, it’s nothing. Besides, I had a fantastic time here today. Thank you for bringing me.”

Tilly smiled, “You’re welcome. But really, even through your excitement, you look bloody exhausted. How about you take tonight off?”

“Take the night off? Can I do that?”

Tilly shrugged, “I’ve worked alone for 7 years, I can handle it. I spend my days catching up on sleep I don’t get at night, but you don’t have that beauty. You have to go and retain boring information all day long. It just isn’t fair. So take the night off.”

Xavier smiled and gave Tilly a tight hug, “Thank you, Tilly. I really appreciate it.”

Tilly squeezed him back tightly, almost to the point where Xavier couldn’t breathe anymore. He hit on her back to let him go before he completely ran out of air. She pulled away with an embarrassed look on her face. They left the museum and decided to have lunch and tea together at a small cafe not too far from the museum. Xavier and Tilly became a lot closer that day: they became really good friends.

 

~~~~

 

Sidney ran through the crowd of people and out of the train station. She made her way to a neighborhood of houses that all looked the same, resembling Cherry Tree Lane in  _ Mary Poppins  _ in a way. She used her key to enter the first house on the street.

“Grandma!” She called out, “I’m here!”

“It’s about time,” called a voice from the living room. Sidney walked into the room and sat on the couch next to her grandmother.

“What are you working on now?” She asked, taking a ball of black yarn into her hands. She tossed it up in the air, only for her grandmother to catch it and put it back in the basket.

“You know not to mess with my yarn, Sidney,” her grandmother scolded, “I need as much as I can get.” She held up her work, which seemed just like a lump of knitted black yarn, “This, my dear, is our loot bag. What else are we supposed to put everything in?”

Sidney shrugged, “I guess you’re right. I was just going to get some laundry bags from the laundry mat the next time I go.”

Her grandmother laughed a sharp laugh, “Oh, darling, this is much more creative. I think a lot more will fit in here.” She held up the incomplete bag once more, “Isn’t it looking nice?”

Sidney nodded and smiled, “It looks perfect, Grandma Meriam. Absolutely perfect.”


	5. Part 5

“You’re early today,” Tilly said as she opened to shack door, only to find Xavier already in it working on homework. The sun was just starting to go down.

Xavier put a pencil in his spot in his textbook and closed it, “I’ve been here for about an hour. My last class got out early.”

“Why?” Tilly put down her bag and grabbed her flashlight from the table near the door.

“My professor's wife went into labor during our class. He got the call in the middle of his lecture and pretty much bolted. So we all got to leave half an hour early.”

“That’s good,” Tilly smiled, “Boy or girl?”

“He doesn’t know yet. Him and his wife wanted to be surprised.”

Tilly nodded and grabbed her hat from the same table and put it on, “Well, the museum has been closed for about 15 minutes now, which means I’m heading inside. Have fun taking notes on whatever you’re learning.” She waved goodbye and left the shack. Xavier leaned over and closed the door, then continued on with his work.

About 10 minutes later Xavier’s phone began to ring. It was Wallace.

“Hey man,” Xavier put the call on speaker phone so he could continue writing.

“ _Do not tell me_ ,” Wallace already sounded annoyed, “ _You’re in that small shack you keep talking about working on homework_.”

Xavier chuckled, “You know me too well, Wall. I’m taking extra notes for Roman History.”

“ _That’s so lame_ ,” Xavier could hear Wallace bite into something. The latter finished his food and said, “ _You know, you could work on your book_.”

“I actually have been. Luckily for me, this small shack has some history books in it that I haven’t read. So I’ve taken notes to eventually put into my book.”

“ _...so you haven’t worked on it_.”

“No, not really” Xavier scrolled through the online textbook pulled up on his laptop and sighed, “I hate this book more than I hate most things.”

“ _The Rome textbook?_ ” Wallace was speaking with a full mouth, “ _Yeah, that one sucks. I feel like I’ve been learning the same things since secondary school, you know? Like that textbook is also being used by 14 year olds._ ”

“I second that,” Xavier laid his head down on the desk, “In all honesty, I’m just trying to keep myself occupied. You’d think I’d have enough school work to do so, but I’m over working. And I have no desire to work on my book because, like you said, it’s like I’ve been learning the same crap for God knows how long now. It’s like I can’t learn any more history.”

“ _Did we choose the wrong major?_ ”

Xavier laughed a little, “It sure feels like it. I guess that’s why Ms. Fridman said it’s one of the hardest.” He looked outside at the setting sun. The sky was absolutely beautiful. Streaks of yellow, orange, and even purple dipped down behind buildings as the black night settled.

“ _Is the sun set down there for you yet?_ ” Wallace asked over the phone.

“No, it hasn’t,” Xavier answered, “That’s actually what I was just looking at. I mean, I’ve got nothing better to do.

He could hear Wallace groan over the line, “ _For God’s sake, Xav, go inside! You’re boring yourself to death._ ”

“Tilly said it’s best for me to stay in here,” Xavier explained, “I mean, nothing’s happened since I started last Monday, but she said you never know.”

_“But you’re taking more notes than needed and staring at the freaking sunset because you’re stuck in a tiny shack that’s falling apart watching nothing happen around you. Go in the museum and find Tolly. Having company in  a quiet place is better than being alone._ ”

“First off, her name’s Tilly,” Xavier sighed and peered out the window, where he could see an entrance to the museum, “I guess it couldn’t hurt to go in for a little while. Sitting all night makes my joints hurt.”

“ _Atta boy!_ ” Xavier listened in as he packed up his school things and stood up, leaving his backpack on the chair, “ _How does it feel to be a rebel for once?_?

“‘For once?’,” Xavier went from speaker to normal on his phone and put it up against his ear. He opened the door to the shack and left it, closing the door behind him. He began to walk to the museum, “In case you don’t recall, my dad hasn’t spoken to me in years. Not since I came out to him and mom.”

“ _That’s not being rebellious, Xav. That’s being yourself. At least your mom still calls you, right?”_

Xavier smiled slightly, “Yeah, sometimes.” He reached the door to the museum used his keycard to unlock it, “Hey, I’ll talk to you later. I’m about to go in.”

_“Yeah, yeah, cool. I’ll see you tomorrow, right?”_

“We have class tomorrow, Wall. Of course I’ll see you.”

There was an awkward pause on the other end of the line, “ _...true_.”

“Bye Wallace.”

“ _See ya, Xav!_ ” And the line went dead.

Xavier pulled on the door, only to find it still locked. He groaned, understanding his idiocracy. He hadn’t realized the door had re-locked since he never opened it in the first place. He used his card again to unlock it, and then opened the door. He stuffed his phone in his pocket as he entered, silently closing the door behind him.

He pulled his flashlight from his belt and turned it on to see. He was in the same tight hallway Tilly had taken him to his first day when he got his uniform. He passed by the changing room with a small smile and continued on.

Xavier was surprised to find the lights on in the main part of the museum. He turned off his flashlight and put it back in his belt. He found himself in the Asia exhibit. Asia was not necessarily his favorite continent to study, mainly because China was so confusing that he had lost interest in it during secondary school. The Mongols were pretty interesting, but the government shifted so much over the course of China’s history that it made Xavier’s mind spin at such a young age. So he never had that much of an interest in Asian history. Yet, he found himself walking around the room.

There were a lot of interesting art pieces all around the area, as well as religious pieces that represent Confucianism, Taoism, and Buddhism. He made his way to a statue that was on a pillar against the wall. It was really small and made of medal, presumably gold. It had wings and chubby legs and arms. Xavier looked at the nameplate next to the pillar.

“Garuda…” Xavier whispered to himself, “Tilly mentioned you.” He looked back at the statue and smiled, “You’re kinda cute, Garuda.”

Suddenly, something really messed up happened.

The Garuda statue moved.

Xavier thought he was imagining things when he saw the statue flinch. He intensified his gaze on it to see if it really had moved. It appeared that it hadn’t for a second, but then the tiny statue turned its head toward Xavier and blinked.

“Holy sh…” Xavier backed up a little. The little Garuda began stomping around on its pillar and making strange noises. The boy’s eyes widened and his pulse raced. He had to be hallucinating.

“This can’t be real. This isn’t real…”

The Garuda had heard him and turned to face him. He rambled on a little more, Xavier’s eyes glued to the moving statue, then leaped at Xavier’s face and latched himself on.

“Get off me! Get the hell off of me!” Xavier screamed at the top of his lungs as he attempted to pry the Garuda off of his face. He spinned around, not being able to see, and banged into the wall. The Garuda still wouldn’t get off of his face.

Xavier kept stumbling along and ended up tripping over the stairs that led to the Xianglu. The Garuda finally hopped of and ran away. A roar came from behind Xavier as he stood up. He turned to see the monster’s statue slithering to life, hissing at him. Xavier screamed once again and ran away from the Xianglu and out of the Asia wing.

He slowed his pace once he was gone. He rubbed his eyes and pinched his arm, “Come on, Xavier, wake the hell up. This isn’t real. You’re sleep deprived and imagining things. You are asleep in the shack.”

“Oh, I’m afraid you aren’t asleep, actually.”

Xavier stopped in his tracks. He slowly turned around to see a helmet with a face carved into it. The helmet spoke again, “Are you alright?”

Xavier shook his head and backed away. He jogged off and found himself in the hallway with the animal heads and bones. Just as he was about to call himself crazy again, he noticed the animal heads moving around, as if they were looking for something. He leaned against the other wall and rubbed his face, still hoping to wake up from this horrific dream.

And then, the worst part happened.

Xavier heard growling from the other side of the hallway. He really, really didn’t want to look up, but his instincts kicked in and he did. Across the way, standing in front of a stained-glass window, was the triceratops Tilly had introduced him to that weekend. Trixie, he randomly recalled in his mind.

“Oh my God,” Xavier cursed in his head, “This could not get any worse.”

Trixie roared at the top of her lungs, and Xavier, again, couldn’t help but scream. As Trixie bolted towards him, he ran the other way, only to be met by the wall. His head banged against it harshly and he fell to the ground, his vision going dark like the night outside.

 

~~~~

 

“Tilly,” Lancelot said as he and Tilly exited the Camelot room not long after he woke up, “Why do you always stick around me? I’m sure there is a lot more in this museum for you to be interested in.”

The girl shrugged, “Well, in all honesty, you were one of the first to really help me adjust to all of this my first night. Also you’re pretty cool to hang with.”

Lancelot flipped his hair and smirked, “Well, I feel very honored.”

Suddenly, they heard a muffled scream come from a distant area. They stopped in their tracks to listen.

“Did you hear that?” Lancelot furrowed his eyebrows. Another scream came, and Lancelot and Tilly looked at each other. Tilly dropped her head and said nothing.

Lancelot couldn’t help but smile teasingly, “Tilly...is there any chance that that’s your new night guard friend discovering the secrets of museum for the first time?”

Tilly nods her head in embarrassment. Lancelot condoles her quickly, then says, “Well, let’s go help him.”

Lancelot and Tilly make their way to where they heard the screaming, which had gotten closer with each step. Then the screaming suddenly stopped. The first thing they saw when they reached the animal hallway was Trixie skid to a halt from a run.

“Trixie,” Lancelot called out, “sit!”

The dinosaur obeyed and sat down in its spot. Lancelot then directed, “Go back home, Trixie.” And she did. She went back to the area she normally stood and laid down, her tail slowly wagging. And on the other side of the hallway, unconscious on the ground, was Xavier.

“Oh my God, Xavier!” Tilly ran over to him and kneeled down. She quickly checked his pulse and sighed of relief, “Thank God, you’re alive.”

Lancelot joined Tilly and tilted his head, “So this is him?”

“Yep. Xavier Michael, history major and total nerd. And obviously prone to fainting.”

As if on cue, the boy on the floor gasped and opened his eyes. He began to cough as he sat up. Tilly moved to where she was in front of him.

“Tilly?” Xavier said lazily, “I had the strangest dream. That Garuda statue in the Asia exhibit attacked my face, and a helmet spoke to me.”

“And a dinosaur chased you?”

Xavier paused his movements and nodded, “Yeah. How did-” He turned his head to see a man with long blond hair in a full suit of armor. The same armor Tilly had said was Sir Lancelot.

“Please tell me I’m still dreaming,” he said, and Lancelot shook his head,

“I’m afraid you were never dreaming in the first place,” he stuck out his hand, “Sir Lancelot. You must be Sir Xavier. Tilly’s told me a lot about you.”

Xavier blinked at him, “I’m dreaming.”

Tilly helped Xavier to his feet and said, “I know it’s a lot to take in, Xavier, but this is why I didn’t tell you in the first place. I didn’t want anything like this to happen.”

“Like what?” Xavier rolled his eyes, and stumbled once he got to his feet, “Be chased by a dinosaur and attacked by a winged gold statue?”

Tilly shrugged, “I told you that Garuda was a little sucker. Come on, I’ll explain everything once we get to Egypt.”

Xavier followed Tilly warily to the Egypt wing. Lancelot walked at his side, “Strange, isn’t it?”

“Very,” Xavier shook his head, “How am I not dreaming?”

“It took me a little bit to get used to coming alive,” Lancelot told him, “I thought I was a real person, then I got too close to an open flame and my nose melted.”

Xavier couldn’t help but laugh, “That sucks, man.”

“Yes, it really did.”

They reached Egypt, and Xavier noticed figured tapping on the glass of the boxes they were trapped in. Nothing really openly walked around. Tilly took him to the area where Merenkahre, Shepseheret, and Ahkmenrah were. The first thing he noticed was that the sarcophaguses were open. All three of them. Then, from behind a pillar, a man in Egyptian robed and a large headpiece walked out. He was older and carried a large staff. It was Merenkahre. A woman in a white dress and gold in her hair followed him: Shepseheret. Xavier was frozen in his place.

“Tilly,” Merenkahre’s booming voice called to her, “what in the name of Ra has happened?”

“I heard a scream,” Shepseheret spoke up, her face filled with concern, “No one got hurt, I hope.”

“No, no one’s hurt, Shep,” Tilly walked over to the Pharaoh and pressed a kiss to the staff, “Remember how I told you the museum hired a new night guard?”

Merenkahre nodded, “Yes, I remember.”

Tilly walked over to Xavier and pulled him by the arm, bringing him to the king and queen, “Well this is him. And he just found out about all of this.”

Shepseheret went over to him and placed a hand on his shoulder, “I am so sorry you had to find out on your own, my boy. I know it can be a scary experience.”

Xavier didn’t know what else to say other than, “Aren’t you dead?”

Shepseheret laughed, and Merenkahre did as well, “During the day we are, yes,” the Pharaoh spoke, “but at night, we are alive once more.”

The queen stepped back as her husband began to introduce himself. Or, at least tried to.

“I am Merenkahre-”

“I know who you are,” Xavier said, “I know who both of you are.”

Merenkahre tilted his head, “You do?”

“I learned about you in school,” Xavier explained, “I am an Ancient History major at Oxford University.”

“Oh,” Shepseheret expressed, “Well that’s surprising.”

Tilly then spoke up, “I think it would be a good idea to explain the tablet and everything so Xavier knows exactly what’s happening.”

Before either the king or queen spoke, a voice called from behind.

“I was helping the citizens of Pompeii get to a secure area when I heard a scream. Is everything alright?”

Xavier turned around. His sight was met by the most beautiful man he had ever laid eyes on. He too was in Egyptian robes. A headpiece slightly smaller than Merenkahre’s rested atop his head. His skin was a dark as caramel, and his eyes were something Xavier had never seen before. He could not pinpoint the color.

“Everything is alright, my son,” Merenkahre spoke as the man joined him, “but we do have a new guest.”

The man looked at Xavier and smiled, “Are you Xavier?”

Xavier didn’t speak. He was too awe-struck by the fact he was face-to-face with the most handsome man he had met. Tilly snapped her fingers in front of his face, and he came back.

“Uh, sorry,” Xavier nodded, “I’m Xavier, yeah.”

“Tilly talks about you a lot,” the man came down to him, “most about how she was going to hide all of this from you,” he put his arm out, wanting to shake his hand, “I am Ahkmenrah.”

Xavier took his hand and shook it, “Xavier Michael.”

Ahkmenrah nodded with a kind smile, then let go, “I’m sure you’d like to know how all of this is possible,” he gestured to the area around him, “come this way.”

Xavier followed Ahkmenrah to the wall behind the sarcophaguses, “The tablet?”

Ahkmenrah nodded, “My tablet was crafted when I was just a baby, meant to be a gift to me. It was blessed by Khonsu, the god of the moon. It was that way so that me and my family would never be parted, not even in death. It brings anything around it that is dead or inanimate to life, which includes museum exhibits.”

Xavier took a second to process it, considering it conflicted with what he learned in school, “My professor told us that the tablet was meant for your older brother, Kahmunrah, but since he never became Pharaoh, it became yours.”

Ahkmenrah’s head dropped, “My brother always wanted it. It was made for me, not him. Ever since I was born, I was the one who was to get the throne. My brother was never supposed to be Pharaoh, and he wasn’t controlled by the tablet like us. I do not know where he ended up in life after I passed.”

“My professor said that, too. No one knows what happened to him.”

Ahkmenrah nodded, “So, yeah, that’s the reasoning behind all of this. I hope you aren’t freaked out too much.”

Xavier shook his head, “It’s going to take some time to get used to.”

“It always does.”

Tilly came up to them, “Hey guys. So, Xavier, now that you know about all of this, would you mind if I took you on another tour? The proper tour, this time.”

Xavier smiled, “Yeah, that’d be great, Tilly.” As we walked away, Ahkmenrah waved goodbye to him, and Xavier waved back. When they were gone Ahkmenrah sighed with a sly grin on his face, and went over to his parents and continued on his night.


End file.
